Lemon and Coffee
by GoWashTheLights
Summary: Jamie goes to mend another fight between him and Jonathon, and gets jumped. He ends up in the hospital, and becomes bitter about how his relationships turn out. Sam and Talita try to help, but Jamie's depression shuts them out. Finished!
1. Chapter One

**Author Note:** Hey, here's another Shortland Street! I know so little about this series, it's so lame -_-' All I focus on is Karl Urban, because he's so squishy and cute! This includes first-gen S.S.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Shortland Street, its characters, etc.

Enjoy! This one's for CreamT :)

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

Sam leaned against the couch, with his hands in his pockets and mild concern on his face. He was staring at the phone, which had been used for a very angry, heated argument between his roommate and...well, Sam wasn't sure what Jonathon McKenna was anymore. In the months that he'd been involved in Jamie's life, he'd caused nothing but problems; they'd only been smoothed over by ridiculous bouquets and empty words, which seemed to affect the paramedic more these days.

In the kitchen, Talita was fixing tea. Perhaps in vain, but she knew just what Jamie liked, and it would coax him to talk. She sighed audibly as she walked into the living room, following Sam's gaze. "Think he'll ring back?"

Her husband pursed his lips skeptically. "Not this time. I don't really want him, too, either; it's causing too much stress around here."

Talita nodded, and looked at the door to Jamie's bedroom. "Poor guy. He looked so upset when he hung up - I can't understand why he struggles so much."

Sam shrugged, moving to a full stand. "No one side is entirely right. Jon's got his fair share of issues, but he just doesn't care about the consequences. Jamie gets so fixated on that, and gets down on himself. Both of them need to see where the other is coming from, and work it out."

A sly smile crossed Talita's lips, and she nudged him. "I suppose you'll tell him that, eh? Sounds like very expert advice to me..."

"Well, _I'm_ not bringing him that tea, just so you know."

Talita rolled her eyes and hurried back into the kitchen. She clinked around for a minute, then reappeared with a cozy-looking cup. She turned up her nose at Sam mockingly, and gently knocked on the door. "Jamie, I'm coming in."

A pitiful moan made its way to their ears in the quiet house. "Please, don't!"

"Too bad!" She turned the handle and boldly stepped inside, knowing she was safe. Sam hesitantly followed her, stopping at the door.

Jamie was bundled up in his covers, hiding his face behind one arm. Talita placed a comforting hand over his back, and nudged the tea at him. "Come on, Jamie. You'll get a headache if you don't drink up."

"I don't care!" Jamie moaned.

"Yes, you do. You're going to wake up tomorrow and feel more miserable than you do now. Trust me, I know you," she added quietly, running a hand through his hair. "Come on, I made this just for you."

Jamie only sighed. He finally sat up a little, and took a couple of sips from the tea handed to him. He dried his eyes - red, and still glassy - before crawling out from the covers. Ashamed, he looked between Talita and Sam. "I'm...sorry about yelling."

Sam decided to make himself useful, and cleared his throat. "Don't stress about it, mate. We're not holding it against you, but...if you ever want to make peace with Jonathon, you should probably talk to him soon. If you don't, that's just as well."

"Sam," Talita chided gently. "That's not what he needs to hear. Though, he is right, Jamie, about talking it out. You're going to feel worse if you don't - "

She was cut off, as the phone was ringing. Sam was grateful to duck out of the conversation, feeling he'd contributed sufficiently, and moved over to the carrier. He hesitated, then before it stopped he picked up. "Hello?"

_"...Oh, Sam, it's...well, it's Jon."_

"Boy, you've got a lot of nerve, haven't you?" He muttered quietly. "You really messed Jamie up, pal."

_"I-I know, and - please don't hang up - I just..."_ He trailed off for a moment. _"If he's...willing to meet me, I'll be at the park. I don't want to leave things like this."_

Sam sighed, and nodded. "I'll tell him. It's up to him if he shows, eh?"

_"Okay. Thanks, Sam."_

Another sigh left him as he hung up. Jonathon was a mess, and Sam didn't know how much more Jamie could take.

"Sam, who was it?" Talita called.

Sam braced himself. He just wanted his friend to be happy.

* * *

Jamie sat slumped against the wall of the alley, feeling broken in a million places. It was getting cold, and it felt like the rain was on its way - not good. He knew he wasn't even close to the park, _and_ out of sight from any help. He coughed harshly; he still felt the fingers wrapped around his throat, and tears pricked at his eyes. He wondered if Jonathon was gone by now.

_He'd probably find this just great,_ Jamie thought as he closed his eyes. Ending up in the same condition - or worse - that Jon had been in a couple months ago; it was laughable. Only, Jamie couldn't laugh, for fear of cracking another rib. He just wanted to cry. Blood still flowed from his nose, and the wound in his side was just as bad. His leg ached incredibly, and Jamie could hardly move it without wincing.

"Please," he wheezed, "someone save me. Get me to a phone, anything..."

He had to get out of there. Jamie groaned, and gripped at the wall to pull himself up. It took forever, but he soon found himself dragging along the bricks. He found the sidewalk, where there wasn't a soul in sight. Across the street was a payphone, but that meant he'd have to let go of the wall. He tested his leg a couple of times, and though it smarted something awful, he could limp on it. He nearly planted his face into the booth once he reached it.

With trembling fingers, he managed to pull out the bit of change his attackers hadn't stolen. It was a small miracle, and Jamie leaned heavily on the phone cozy as he waited.

"What is your emergency?"

"A-Ambulance..." Jamie slurred.

"What is your name and location?"

"Uh..." Jamie struggled to think. "My name is Jamie...Forrest, I'm...near the park on 34 Adam's Street..."

"Is someone with you for assistance until we arrive?"

"N-No...I'm alone. Please, get here soon..." He couldn't finish his plea. The words died on his lips, and he collapsed out of the booth. The next while blurred past him like a dream. He could hear voices around him, disconnected and far.

_" Eight-Six-Seven to Shortland Street."_

_"Patient gone into shock...loss of..."_

_"Let's get him into..."_

"Jamie, hold _on_." Michael McKenna spoke authoritatively to the young man, who's heart-rate was dropping and raising as the minutes passed. He'd been more than surprised to find out the identity of the emergency patient, and he wondered what could have happened. He wondered if Jonathon knew, and made a note to contact his son after stabilizing Jamie. "Boy, stay with me, you hear?"

Jamie's eyes fluttered for a moment, but that was the only response he could give.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author Note: **Sorry it's taken so long, my internet was out this last weekend and it was a miserable experience! Then, I went to Comic-Con, which was an AMAZING experience! Now I'm back, and the world makes sense. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter Two

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound was calming, almost entrancing. Michael stood at Jamie's bedside, observing the young man. Thankfully, the patient was stable, but he looked awful. Jamie was pale, broken, and even in sleep looked distressed. Whatever had happened, Michael knew that there would be lasting effects. He sighed and slipped from the room, into the quiet hall. Checking his watch, he found that the hour read exactly four in the morning; four unexpected hours down, and twelve to go.

"Doctor McKenna," a voice called. It was Jo, with an anxious look on her face. "I've just checked in, and found Sam and his wife in the lobby. They told me Jamie was hurt - what happened?"

Michael only shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure, dear. All I know, is that I was called in after Jamie dialed the ambulance. He was picked up, wheeled right into Emergency care, and here we are."

"How is he now?" She bit her lip.

"He's fine. I contacted Sam as soon as I could, so I'm glad they made it. I'll go talk to them now, thank you."

Jo only nodded, glancing once towards Jamie's door. She finally made her way over, and peeked into the window. Her heart fell a bit, and she sighed. "Jamie Forrest, what did you get yourself into?"

Out in the waiting area, Sam was the first to notice Michael. He stood and immediately began to press the older man with questions. "Doc, what happened to him? He was on his way to talk to _your_ son, to sort things out, and now he's in the hospital?"

"Sam, sweetheart," Talita tugged gently at his sleeve. "That's not going to help, and you know it. Besides," she glanced to her left, "Jon is here."

Michael watched as his son hurried down the hall, looking frantic. "Dad!" Jonathon snapped. "Mum just told me what happened! Why didn't you call sooner?"

"Look, Jon, I need _everyone _here to calm down, just a bit. Jamie is doing just fine, he's resting, and I'm sure he'll be willing to tell us what happened when he wakes up. Until then," Michael gave each of them a stern glance, "we wait patiently. You're free to stay here, or not stay, but be patient. Jamie will pull through, understand?" He placed a hand on Jon's shoulder.

The young man finally nodded, and slumped onto the nearest chair. Doctor McKenna was called elsewhere, and gave his son a final glance before walking away. Talita put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He'll be okay, Jonathon," she insisted. "This is Jamie we're talking about."

"I just don't..." Jon began, feeling dangerously emotional. He didn't want to cry here, even though it seemed appropriate. "I talked to you, Sam, and I went to the park, and I waited. I don't even know how long I stayed there, but I...figured he'd changed his mind. My Mum told me about this, not half-an-hour ago. I wish I hadn't been so hecked off at him."

Sam glanced at him. "I wish you hadn't either."

"Sam. We are _not _going to fight here, understand?"

Her husband threw her a look. "I have every right to be mad! This is my friend, basically here because of him!"

Jon didn't even want to argue, because he knew Sam was in the right. Jonathon never could figure out who started the fights between himself and Jamie, but this one was on him. Jon chose to stare at the floor, quiet and patient for Jamie to finally wake up.

* * *

"Doctor McKenna!"

"What is it, Jo?"

Jo looked in-between being excited and worried. "Jamie's up. He's pretty upset - pretty frazzled and confused, that is. Steve is in there with him."

Michael nodded. "Very well, I'm on my way. Thank Heaven he's awake, though."

The younger girl nodded as she followed him down the hall, and into Jamie's room. Steve Mills had his hand placed over Jamie's shoulder, which seemed to have calmed him. Jamie was looking up at the ceiling, his brows raised with stress. Michael walked over to him and spoke quietly, "Jamie, is everything all right?"

Jamie shook his head after a while.

Michael continued carefully. "Are you in pain?"

Steve answered for him. "He said he was, so I upped his dosage. I think he's just a bit shaken - aren't you Jamie?"

Jamie nodded, and a fresh sheen washed across his eyes. Jo stepped forward, and he looked at her. She smiled and brushed some hair from his eyes. "Sweetheart, you have visitors. Sam, Talita and Jon are here, so you - "

Jamie shook his head fervently. "I don't want to see anyone," he spoke clearly. "I just want to be alone."

Michael cleared his throat at his two nurses, who understood and made their way to the door. The doctor stayed, taking a seat, and looked over his clipboard. He glanced at his patient, who was looking back. "Son, you'll be fine. I know I've been...pretty hard on you at times, but, I'm sorry this happened. Is there anything you'd like to talk about? See a therapist here?"

Jamie shook his head sadly. "I just want to rest for a few days."

Michael nodded. "Well, I can grant you that. We just need to get your blood count back up, let your leg heal a little. It was a clean break, so you'll just need crutches for a while. There were multiple knife wounds, but nothing vital was damaged, thankfully. You'll be on bed rest once we release you here, understand?"

He received a simple nod. Michael copied him, and patted his shoulder gently before leaving. In the quiet room, Jamie rested his head against his pillow, and wrapped his arms over his aching chest. His heart was breaking for himself for once; he'd spent too much time trying to mend the unmendable, and he couldn't do it anymore. He'd gotten into this situation because of love, so without it, he'd get himself out.


	3. Chapter Three

**Author Note: **Sorry, it's been a while! Sometimes real life does that to you :( We should all just hide here and live in our fandominions forever. It'd be so much more fun!

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

It was around noon when Sam and Talita finally brought Jamie home. Michael had been hesitant to release him, but seeing as he seemed to be on the mend, he'd decided to give in and give the boy some rest.

Jamie was the last one in through the door, quiet as he had been all morning. Sam knew that something bad had to be running through his head, and glanced at Talita. "Hey, uh, Jamie?"

Jamie only looked at him sadly, leaning on his crutches.

Sam returned the look, and finally pulled him in for a gentle hug. "Listen, man, we're here for you, okay?"

He received a one-armed embrace in response. "I know, Sam."

Talita patted his shoulder. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Jamie pulled away, and managed to smile. "No. I just...kind of want to hang up on myself today."

Sam nodded, but his wife only shook her head. "That's a bad idea, and you know it." She watched him as he moved over to the couch, and slumped heavily along the length of it. He ran a hand lightly over his cast, which would be off in a week. "Jamie, please."

He stared at her darkly, but there was a touch of regret. "T.P., I just want to be alone, understand?"

Sam wasn't in the mood to listen to a fight. "Guys, guys. Talita, let's give him some space, eh?" He took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and guided her into the kitchen. He kissed her forehead and whispered, "He needs time."

She pushed away lightly and looked up at him. "Yeah, but...he also needs to know that he can talk to us."

Sam smiled. "Jamie doesn't have an issue with that. It's only a matter of when, my love. Let him sleep off a few things, and we'll have a nice welcome home dinner tonight."

After a long moment, Talita nodded. She walked out to the living room, and found Jamie lying on the couch with his eyes toward the ceiling. He didn't falter his gaze as he said, "I'm sorry, T.P."

She shook her head. She grabbed one of the spare blankets and draped it over him securely, then kissed his forehead. "Don't be. Just get some rest, and know that I love you." She patted his cheek, and a tiny smile washed along his lips.

Unfortunately, the smiles didn't last long. For the next week, Jamie spent most of his recuperation in bed. The only time his roommates really ever saw him was for dinner, due to Talita's lovingly forceful hand. She and Sam worked on meals that their friend enjoyed, and to humor them, he would eat the food with gusto. It was also the only time that things seemed normal, because every other hour of the day, things were clearly not. He remained alone in his room, and whenever Sam or Talita would address him, they'd receive only a nod or depressed grumble in return.

Sam woke up one morning to the sound of rustling, and found Jamie on the couch, trashing some of his personal magazines. Pictures of him and Jonathon - or him and Isaac - were scattered haplessly, waiting their turn to be tossed in. "Oi, what's all this?"

Jamie gave him a warning side-glance. "Don't try to talk me out if it, Sam. I know what I'm doing."

Sam stood over him, and with impressive speed, swiped the bag from the ground. "Yeah, right, you do! First of all, you're not in any position to be wasting money like that. Second of all, this isn't the way to go about it. I am seriously worried about you!"

Jamie glared up at him. Being confined to sitting wasn't exactly threatening, so he worked with what he had. "Look, I'll do whatever I please with my things! I don't need anyone worrying about me, because I'm just fine! There's nothing wrong with me, got it?"

Sam's response was surprising to both of them. Without thinking, Sam brought his hand right across Jamie's face - not incredibly hard, but enough to shock him into silence. Sam recovered first, even though his heart was pounding. He took a seat next to Jamie, and firmly took his friend's shoulders. "Damn it, Jamie, can you hear yourself? Everyone has something wrong with them, especially you right now! You've been through something terrible, and you don't know how to handle it. That's why you have people around you - because we care about you!"

Jamie was holding his face, and tears had formed in his eyes. "Sam...I...can't believe you actually hit me."

"You needed it, man. I'll do it again if you say something else so stupid, so lay off yourself." He brought him into a tight embrace, noticing that Talita had edged her way into the room. She silently moved over to them, and crouched to her knees. The three of them stayed like that as Jamie cried, and still so when he'd calmed down. Finally, he was the first to pull away, wiping at his eyes.

"I really have been stupid, haven't I?"

Sam nodded confidently. "Yes. I'm sorry I hit you, by the way. It's...not like me to do that."

Jamie shook his head. "I deserved it; it was a well-needed wake up call." He slumped against the couch, lost in thought for a moment. He finally looked at the two of them, wincing. "Speaking of calls, has...Jonathon rang?"

Talita took his hand. "Of course he has - all week. Sam and I told him to give you a little space, but we see now that it may not be necessary anymore. You need to talk to him, Jamie."

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, later I will. First, I guess I'd better clean up this disaster I've made," he motioned to the belongings he hadn't bagged yet.

Sam shook his head. He picked up a photo of them, smiling because of Jamie's happy expression in it. "What were you trying to do anyways?"

"This started because of...how I live my life. Jon got attacked for the same reason, so I figured if..." He trailed off, still feeling emotional.

"You were angry because you'd been victimized," Talita offered, and Jamie nodded.

"I wondered if loving a woman wouldn't make my life easier, and then I thought, not loving at all would keep me isolated and safe. So, I was trying to get away from who'd I thought I was comfortable being, and throwing it away."

Talita shook her head fervently, and hugged him. "No matter what happens, you can never go back on your choices, and you can't help who you are. We wouldn't want you any other way, Jamie, and we love you. Jon loves you, too; you just need to figure that out for yourselves."

Jamie laughed quietly, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we do."

The three of them worked to clean, then Jamie moved over to the phone. He paused for a long time, hand hovering over it, and finally picked it up. As he dialed, he could only hope that things would work out, like Talita had said. He cared for Jonathon, probably more than he did Isaac, and that scared him. It meant he would have to make choices, and expect mutual decisions from Jon if things were going anywhere.

_"Hello, McKenna residence." _It was Michael.

"Er, hello, Doctor McKenna, it's Jamie - "

_"Oh, how are you doing? It's good hearing from you."_

Jamie smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Listen, if Jonathon's available, I'd like to speak to him."

There was a frown in Michael's response. _"I'm sorry, he isn't, actually; he went out about an hour ago. Should I leave him a message?"_

Jamie fumbled with the phone cord. "N-No, just...let him know I called."

_"...Right, then. Listen Jamie, I have to go, but don't forget you have an appointment on Tuesday. I want to see how everything's going."_

"Yes, sir."

_"Good. Talk to you later, Jamie."_

"Yeah, bye."

Jamie hung up, feeling royally bummed. Here he'd had this whole speech planned out to apologize, but it would have to wait.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Talita was getting lunch ready, and Sam was showering, so it was up to Jamie to answer it. Imagine his surprise when a familiar, ridiculous, loving bouquet was the first thing he saw. Holding the flowers was Jonathon, who had a nervous smile on his face. "Hey, Jamie, you're - "

Jamie dropped his crutches and pulled Jon into the tightest hug he'd ever given anyone. His hands ran through the blonde hair, and he closed his eyes and sighed. "I literally just called your place, asking for you. I've missed you a lot."

Jonathon smiled and hugged him back. "Well, it must have been a sign, because I couldn't stand waiting for you another day. I've missed you, too, Jamie."

_~Fin~_


End file.
